Getting Nonprofit Experience

Q. I’m a humanities Ph.D. who has been teaching since getting my degree four years ago. I’d like to make the transition into nonprofit work. I had a very low-level nonprofit job 10 years ago, but I lack experience in fund raising and have very little in staff management. I don’t mind taking a step or two down in salary or “rank.” I am committed to doing something that makes the world a better place. What sort of position would give me the nonprofit experience that will help me compete for better jobs down the line?

A. The first thing you need to do is a bit of soul-searching about what exactly you’re looking for, says Aleta Margolis, a former teacher and founder of the Center for Artistry in Teaching, a nonprofit organization in Washington dedicated to increasing the quality of teaching in public schools. “In my experience, the particular position you hold is far less important than the organization you work for,” she says. “Think about how you ‘want to make the world a better place.’ What are you passionate about? Are you interested in creating your own solutions to social problems, or working in support of an existing initiative? Are you looking to remedy existing problems or prevent them from occurring in the first place? Which nonprofits are doing work that’s in line with your vision?”

Once you’ve answered these questions, you still have a number of choices to make, says Ms. Margolis. If your ultimate goal is a senior management position, you might first start looking for an assistant-level job, aiding an executive director or chief fund raiser. Another option is a position as a program officer. You’ll get hands-on experience running and managing programs, she says, which could grow into a program-director position — and, eventually, lead to an executive-director slot.

Also think about whether you prefer large organizations or smaller ones, says Ms. Margolis. At a large charity, you’ll learn from many colleagues and gain in-depth knowledge in one particular aspect of the organization, such as programming, fund raising, or human resources. At a smaller organizations, you’ll likely learn and do a little of everything. “Those of us in smaller organizations take advantage of every talent each employee brings,” she says.

To increase your chances of getting a job at all, however, your best bet may be to stick with teaching for a while and volunteer for your dream employer on the side. Cindy Walters Fuller, a former public-school teacher from Fort Worth, did exactly that, making the switch to nonprofit work about three years ago. During her teaching career she volunteered at Fort Worth Sister Cities International, a charity that cultivated cultural understanding through programs for youth. She hosted foreign students, chaperoned American students on trips abroad, and taught in the organization’s summer International Leadership Academy. After being honored in 2000 as a “volunteer of the year,” the organization offered her a staff position as a program manager. “I already knew how Sister Cities operated, knew the management, knew the other volunteers on the committees, and how to manage projects,” she says. “For me, it was a good inroad into the nonprofit world because I already had that prior relationship.”